It was a big night for Canadian creatives at the 98th Academy Awards as Canadian-driven productions swept the animation categories.
Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski’s stop-motion tale The Girl Who Cried Pearls captured Best Animated Short Film. It was the Montreal-based duo’s second Oscar nod in 18 years after previously being nominated for their 2007 short film, Madame Tutli-Putli, which kicked off a 20-year collaboration with the National Film Board (NFB).
“This award is a tribute to all the artists who shared this labour with us. They are not just names in the credits, they are our community, and their extraordinary talent and hard work made this possible,” Lavis and Szczerbowski said in an NFB release. “We’d especially like to thank the National Film Board of Canada for their enduring support, and the Academy for continuing to champion short animated film. Statue or no statue, the support we’ve gotten from friends and family these past weeks has been overwhelming. We can’t express how meaningful it’s been. Now we may finally get a free beer from our local pub.”
A moment they’ll remember forever. Congrats to Best Live Action Short winner THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/CCTu1QQaNh
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 16, 2026
“At a time when our country’s spirit is winning accolades around the world, Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski have given Canadians another reason to be proud,” added Suzanne Guèvremont, Government Film Commissioner and NFB Chairperson. “Congratulations to the filmmakers, our producers and our talented creative team on The Girl Who Cried Pearls, a stop-motion marvel produced and set in Montreal. We’re honoured to be the home of visionary storytellers like Chris and Maciek, and to continue to champion great Canadian stories and talents to audiences here and across the globe.”
The 17-minute short was produced by Julie Roy, Marc Bertrand and Christine Noël and featured Colm Feore (voice), Patrick Watson (music) and Brigitte Henry as artistic director. Sound design was by Olivier Calvert, who was part of Sylvain Bellemare’s team on Denis Villeneuve film Arrival, which won the 2017 Oscar for Sound Editing.
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS wins the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Congratulations to Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/snCgJSgepU
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 16, 2026
KPop Demon Hunters claimed the award for Best Animated Feature, accepted by Toronto’s Maggie Kang, who wrote and co-directed the Netflix film, which also picked up Best Original Song for “Golden.”
Additionally, some of the Canadians behind Guillermo del Toro Best Picture nominee Frankenstein – Tamara Deverell and set decorator Shane Vieau – won for Production Design, as did the film’s Makeup and Hairstyling team Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey.
Read more about this year’s Canadian nominees here.
